New projects

I can now happily draw a line under my first manuscript. It is edited, double spaced and wending its way to the BBC writersroom as we speak. They receive around 10,000 scripts every year, which is not surprising as they are one of the few companies who offer this kind of reading service. They read the first ten pages of every script, rejecting most at this stage. Of those that they read all the way through they will go on to offer feedback on most. At this stage I think feedback is the best I can hope for, but even that would be gratefully received. Well, obviously a personal phonecall begging me to write for them would be the best I could hope for, but let’s be realistic here. It should at least give me an idea as to whether this is something I’m good at, or if I’m barking up the wrong tree entirely.

Now it’s time to start a new project, this time focussing on a stage play. I’d love to get something commissioned, and with all the independent theatres in London this should be a lesser challenge than getting a job script writing for the BBC! But after being focussed on one script for a while I now feel a little lost. Here’s what I should be getting on with:

1) Working on new play script You Can Never Go Home.

2) Asham Award short story, due 30th September on the theme ‘Ghost or Gothic’ – not really my specialist genre, but will see what I can do.

3) Read How Many Miles to Basra, a BBC radio 3 play by Colin Teevan.

4) Read Story by Robert McKee, apparently the Big Daddy of screenwriting books.

5) Research and contact HBO. After my work placement for the BBC last October I am interested in doing a placement with an American TV production company, for the experience (and the CV points!) and as HBO are pretty much my dream company I thought I’d give it a go. Any company that produces Angels in America, The Sopranos, The Wire and Sex and the City would be the numero uno to work with as far as script writing and editing is concerned. Plus a lot is talked about the differences between the UK and US scriptwriting methods, so would be interesting at this stage to compare the two.

6) Adapting TV script submitted to the BBC for the stage.

Best get on it!